As a sexual health educator, one of my favorite teaching tools has long been my Wondrous Vulva Puppet.

As a sexual health educator, one of my favorite teaching tools has long been my Wondrous Vulva Puppet that I purchased a few years ago from the Good Vibrations store in Berkeley, California. I think it’s such an effective tool that I even took it on the Tyra Banks Show last year to teach women about this important part of their bodies during an episode about vulvar and vaginal health.

I would encourage all women who are reading this post to consider what they already know about their body and what they think they could stand to learn: do you know where the clitoris is and what it’s for? What about the labia minora (inner lips) and labia majora (outer lips)?

Aside from just knowledge, how do you feel about your genitals – the way that they look, smell, and your level of comfort letting a trusted sexual partner or a healthcare provider view them? Men, how about you? How knowledgeable and comfortable are you in regard to women’s bodies, as well as your own body?

Debby Herbenick, PhD, MPH is a professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion (School of Public Health), and a research fellow at The Kinsey Institute. She has been writing the Kinsey Confidential Q&A since 2003. Additionally, Dr. Herbenick is an AASECT-certified sexuality educator and current president (2016-present) of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She is the author of several books about sex and love.